Sega has announced the release date for the next two games in its Sega Ages range.

Shinobi and Fantasy Zone are two arcade classics which earned legions of fans back in the day and established two classic franchises. Both will come with the usual slate of enhancements, such as online leaderboards, replays and save states, but they'll also have features exclusive to each title.

In Shinobi, a melee button has been added so you can use Joe Musashi's blade independently from his throwing stars. You can also play in a special "Ages" mode which puts Musashi in a white outfit (like the one seen in Revenge of Shinobi) and benefit from extra health and increased damage. There are also difficulty options, a stage select feature and a time rewind aid so you can quickly amend mistakes.

For Fantasy Zone, a "coin stock" feature makes things easier for novices, while the Time Attack mode is perfect for those seeking a challenge. You'll also be facing off against extra bosses and there's the option to play as Opa-Opa's sibling, Upa-Upa.

Both games launch on January 23rd at $7.99 each. Will you be picking them up?

Damien has over a decade of professional writing experience under his belt, as well as a repulsively hairy belly. Rumours that he turned down a role in The Hobbit to work on Nintendo Life are, to the best of our knowledge, completely and utterly unfounded.

Shinobi was fun. Even though it mimicked Rolling Thunder, it justified that by leading to the creation of The Revenge Of Shinobi and Shinobi III which were leaps and bounds ahead both of those arcade games.